2005 Pauillac, Les Forts de Latour, Château Latour
About Producer
In the same lineage of connected family ownership for 300 years since the mid 17th century, Latour owes its glory to the Marquis de Ségur and his heirs. Given a new lease of life in 1963 by British investors and then acquired by François Pinault in 1993, the estate has not rested on its laurels. Thanks to the rigorous management of Frédéric Engerer who implemented massive renovations in the cellar and even more drastic selection, the Grand Vin is once again at new heights. Latour has further stepped up its game by converting its entire vineyards into organic farming in 2015, and in parallel biodynamic preparations are being applied to most of the Enclos. Les Forts de Latour is an outstanding second wine which ranks well above a whole host of crus classés.
Varietals
Blend of 76% cabernet sauvignon and 24% merlot.
About Appellation
Largest town in the Médoc and slighly more elevated than its surrounding area, Pauillac has always played an important role in the wine trade, notably when the city of Bordeaux lost its privilege and monopoly of wine exports to England in the 18th century. The vineyards cover 1,213ha and sit on well-drained sand and gravelly soils, with the best sites being located on rolling mounds, called 'croupes', that reach their highest point at 30m above sea level. Cabernet sauvignon is the predominant grape variety, albeit always blended with merlot, and to a lesser extent, with cabernet franc and petit verdot. Pauillac is home to 18 grands crus classés in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, including Lafite-Rothschild, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild (since 1973) as first growths.
Tasting Notes
Created in 1966 as the second wine of Château Latour with usually more merlot in the blend, Les Forts de Latour is now a great wine in its own right and actually stands well above a whole host of classified growths. Captivating nose of red and black berry fruits, smoke, tobacco, cedar, graphite and fresh flowers, supple mouthfeel with silky texture, broad structure and good depth, oodles of flavours of blackberry, raspberry, black currant, liquorice, coffee and forest floor underpinned by a firm mineral spine, well-embedded acidity and polished tannins leading onto a long, expressive finish. Bearing witness to the outstanding quality of the 2005 vintage, this is a delightful wine with excellent balance, remarkable purity and astonishing freshness that has superbly come round. Displaying confident poise and quiet complexity, it can easily stand toe to toe with some excellent crus classés and is indeed a very enjoyable sip while waiting for the 2005 Latour to mature. (07/2024)